male dominance
Men holding power
Male dominance is the social pattern where men hold primary power and authority over women—in politics, economics, family structures, or cultural institutions.
The term appears in feminist analysis, anthropology, and animal behavior studies: The species exhibits male dominance, with males controlling territory and mating access.
In human contexts, it describes systemic inequality rather than individual relationships.
- sexismGender-based prejudice
- gender inequalityUnequal treatment based on sex
- misogynyHostility toward women
- good old boysInsular network of influential men
- power dynamicsRelational patterns of influence
man in charge · assertiveness · chauvinism · paternalism · king of the castle · man of the house · old boys' club · gender bias · glass ceiling · pecking order · aggression · gender hierarchy · gender roles · entitlement · competitiveness · chest thumping · toxic masculinity · testosterone
- masculinitymanhood, machismo, masculinity, manliness, manly
- patriarchypater familias, patria potestas, patriarchate, headship, agnatic succession
- regency romancecourtship, marriage plot, proposal, suitor, suitors
- Elizabethan masculinityhonor, manhood, virility, knight, valor
- anti-feminismanti-feminism, misogyny, manosphere, men's rights, mens rights
male dominancegender equality
Equal treatment regardless sex
equality · egalitarianism · gender parity · equal partnership · gender equity